Top 10 Tips for Crossbow Pistol Safety

You’ve picked out a crossbow pistol and your excited to head out and start shooting. First things first. Let’s make sure we have a safe day of shooting rather than a horrible tragedy. Here is 10 tips to think about when you are using your mini crossbow.

Adult supervision. Regardless of how mature you feel your child is they should always have adult supervision. A crossbow pistol is not a toy even if it looks like one. This also mean storing your mini crossbow unloaded and away from where children can get to it. Treat your crossbow like you would a firearm in this regard.

Inspect your crossbow pistol before using. Bolts and screws can come loose and cause the bow to come apart when firing if not tightened properly. If a particular bolt or screw keeps coming loose, either replace or add some thread lock. Always inspect your string before using. Strings wear and can break when loading or firing causing potential harm. If the string shows any fraying or significant wear, replace immediately. Finally check over the limbs and body of the crossbow pistol to make sure there isn’t any cracks or damage to the bow itself. Replace any components that have these defects. You should perform this inspection frequently to ensure your safety and the safety of others around you.

Use a good target. Make sure the target you use is designed to stop a crossbow bolt. Failing to do so might cause the bolt to go through the target, ricochet off, or shatter the bolt. All of which can cause damage to yourself or anyone in the area. Use our guide in deciding on a good target.

Know what’s beyond your target. Always know what is around and behind your target before firing. A pistol crossbow can easily shoot over 100 yards. Ask yourself what happens if I miss this target? Where will my bolt go? If your answer is I’m not sure, then don’t fire.

Never dry fire. Dry fire is shooting your mini crossbow without a bolt in it. Never do this. It can cause damage to the limbs which could break during firing.

Never try to decock a loaded crossbow pistol. This can lead to dry fire and accidents. The safest way to uncock a crossbow is to fire a bolt into a safe target. This avoids damage to the bow and yourself.

Check your bolt/arrow. Crossbow pistols are extremely accurate and therefore it’s common to hit a bolt already in the target. This can cause the bolt to crack and it may come apart when you are firing it the next time. Inspect your bolts before using to avoid this. Also only use bolts that are designed to be shot from your pistol crossbow. Check out our bolt guide.

Wear eye protection. Things can shatter on the firing of your mini crossbow so it stands to reason that you should be protecting your eyes. Wearing a good pair of shooting glasses is always a good idea. They are cheap and won’t get in the way of your shooting fun. Remember the old saying “You one get one pair”. Protect them.

Only load your crossbow pistol when your ready to shoot. Never walk around with your crossbow loaded even when hunting. There is rarely a situation where you can’t load the bow and still get the shot. It will help avoid accidental discharges.

Point your bow is a safe direction. When loading your crossbow pistol make sure it’s pointed in a safe direction in case it accidentally fires. This means pointed towards the ground away from anyone. Also make sure the safety is engaged if your bow comes with one.

This is by no means an all inclusive list. Please refer to your instruction manual for more tips. By following a few safety rules you can avoid an accident and truly enjoy shooting your crossbow pistol for years to come. As always feel free to comment and add any safety tips you might have.